Must Change Ivory Bill To Help Save Elephants

The burgeoning wildlife trade is leading to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of elephants. However, the bill currently before the Connecticut legislature -- An Act Prohibiting the Sale and Trade of Ivory and Rhino Horn -- will do nothing to stop this crisis unless it is changed.

That's because the bill was recently amended to allow the continued sale and trade of antiques. Since it's extremely difficult to tell the difference between the two, old ivory often serves as cover for ivory from recently killed elephants.

To ensure that ivory sold in the U.S. does not fuel poaching in Africa, Connecticut should follow New York's lead and amend the bill to exempt only antiques composed of less than 20 percent ivory. Since most recently poached ivory in the U.S. ends up in objects made entirely or almost entirely of ivory, this exemption would allow law enforcement to more easily identify illegal ivory, deter vendors from selling illegal ivory, and enable antique dealers to sell the vast majority of their pieces, which usually contain only a small amount of ivory.

Elly Pepper, New Haven, and Annie Hornish, Granby

The writers are a wildlife advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council and Connecticut state director of the Humane Society of the United States, respectively.